DeskAlerts Agent deployment using Endpoint Management Systems

This article provides a set of deployment guides for installing the DeskAlerts Agent using popular endpoint management systems. Each section includes step-by-step instructions, configuration details, and recommended parameters to help you perform a reliable and consistent rollout across your Windows devices. Select the platform your organization uses – Microsoft Intune, Zoho Endpoint Central, or PDQ Deploy – and follow the corresponding guide to complete the installation.

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DeskAlerts is not a vendor of any Endpoint Management System. For advanced configuration options or full product documentation, please refer to the official resources provided by the respective developers of these systems.

DeskAlerts Agent deployment using Intune

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for deploying the DeskAlerts Windows Agent to user devices using Microsoft Intune.

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This method is recommended for organizations using Microsoft Endpoint Manager (Intune) to manage Windows devices at scale.

Overview

The DeskAlerts Agent is distributed as an .msi package (Win32 app). To deploy it via Intune, you must first convert the file to an .intunewin format and then create a line-of-business app deployment policy.

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To get the latest .msi package please contact DeskAlerts Support Team.

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For more information please visit the official Microsoft Learn portal.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following:

• You have Admin access to the Microsoft Intune portal.
• You have the Microsoft Win32 Content Prep Tool installed on your system to convert .msi to .intunewin.

1

Build an Intune Package

1. Download the Microsoft Win32 Content Prep Tool.
2. Place your .msi installer in a folder (e.g., C:\DeskAlertsInstaller).
3. Open PowerShell as Administrator, navigate to the tool’s folder, and run:

.\IntuneWinAppUtil.exe -c "C:\DeskAlertsInstaller" -s "DeskAlertsClient11.x.x.x.msi" -o "C:\DeskAlertsInstaller\output"

This will generate a .intunewin file in the output folder.

2

Upload to Intune

Go to Microsoft Intune Admin Center → Apps → Windows → Create.

Select App type: Windows app (Win32) → Select.

In the App package file step:

• Click Select app package file and upload your .intunewin file.
• Click OK to continue.

3

Configure App Information

Fill in the following fields:

• Name: DeskAlerts Agent
• Description: DeskAlerts notification agent for Windows devices
• Publisher: DeskAlerts
• Category: (Optional)
• Upload an icon if desired.

Click Next.

4

Configure Install & Uninstall Commands

In the Program section:

• Install command:

  msiexec /i "DeskAlertsClient11.x.x.x.msi" /qn /quiet ALLOWING_UNTRUSTED_SSL=true BASE_URL=https://yourserverurl/DeskAlerts REGISTRATION_TYPE=5 /lv log.txt

Parameter Breakdown

Parameter	Description
REGISTRATION_TYPE	Defines the user registration method
BASE_URL	Specifies the URL of your DeskAlerts Server (e.g., https://server.company.com/DeskAlerts).
ALLOWING_UNTRUSTED_SSL=true	Optional. Allows agents to connect to servers with self-signed or invalid SSL certificates. Skip if your server has a valid certificate.
DELETEPROFILE=1	Removes the user’s local alert history and content from previous installations. Default if omitted.
APPDIR="C:\Path\To\Install"	(Optional) Specifies the installation directory.
ENABLE_SERVICE=true	Installs the DeskAlerts Windows Service for Wallpaper, Lockscreen, and Screensaver features.
DISABLE_WP_LS_SS=true	Disables Wallpaper, Lockscreen, and Screensaver functionality.
/qn /quiet	Installs the application silently, with no user interface.
/lv log.txt	Creates a detailed log file of the installation process.

REGISTRATION_TYPE Values

Value	Registration Type	Description
0	Simple	Prompts user for manual registration (login/password).
1	ComputerName	Uses the device hostname as the user ID.
2	SimpleAD	Automatically registers users using Active Directory (AD) attributes.
3	AzureAD	Automatically registers users using Azure Active Directory attributes.
5	Seamless	Automatically registers using current Windows user and device (silent).
6	SeamlessHybridUserAD	Registers users in hybrid Azure AD environments.
7	SeamlessForAzureAD	Seamless registration specifically for Azure AD environments. Uses Windows Azure AD integration to retrieve user credentials automatically.

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When using the AzureAD registration type, users will be prompted to confirm their identity via Microsoft MFA upon first launch of the DeskAlerts Agent. This is a standard part of the Azure authentication flow.

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📗 DeskAlerts Registration Types.

Additional Parameters

Parameter	Description
AI_DESKTOP_SH=0	Prevents creation of a desktop shortcut
AI_STARTMENU_SH=0	Prevents creation of a Start Menu shortcut
DISABLE_TRAY_MENU=true	Permanently hides the system tray menu, overriding server-side settings

• Uninstall command: msiexec /x "DeskAlertsClient11.x.x.x.msi" /qn /quiet
• Install behavior: System

Click Next.

5

Configure Requirements

• Operating system architecture: 64-bit
• Minimum operating system: Windows 10 1903 (or higher)

Click Next.

6

Configure Detection Rules

1. Choose Manually configure detection rules.
2. Click Add and use the following settings:

• Rule type: MSI
• MSI product code: (Intune will detect this automatically from the .msi)
• Leave all other fields as default.

Click Next.

7

Assign the App

Assign the DeskAlerts Agent to all devices or a specific device/user group (recommended for pilot testing).

Click Next, then Create.

Your .intunewin file will be uploaded to the Intune Portal. You can check the uploading status by pressing the Notifications icon.

8

Monitor Deployment

After assignment, you can monitor deployment status under:

Intune Admin Center → Apps → Windows → DeskAlerts Agent → Device install status

DeskAlerts Agent deployment using Zoho Endpoint Central

Overview

This guide explains how to deploy the DeskAlerts Agent using Zoho Endpoint Central (formerly ManageEngine Desktop Central).

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This method is recommended for organizations using Zoho Endpoint Central to manage Windows devices at scale.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure:

1. Endpoint Central is configured and the agent is installed on the target computers. Refer to Zoho's official documentation for help.
2. You have the DeskAlerts Agent installer file.

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To get the latest .msi package please contact DeskAlerts Support Team.

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1

Create a Software Package

1. In the Endpoint Central admin portal, go to the Software Deployment tab.

   

2. Open the Packages section → Click Add Package → Choose Windows.

   

3. Fill out the package details:

• Package Name: DeskAlerts
• Package Type: EXE / APPX / MSIEXEC / MSU / MSIX / MSIX Bundle
• License Type: Commercial
• Locate Installable: From Shared Folder or From Local Computer

4. Under Installation, enter the following command:

msiexec /i "DeskAlertsClient11.x.x.x.msi" /qn /norestart ALLOWING_UNTRUSTED_SSL=true REGISTRATION_TYPE=5 BASE_URL=https://YOURSERVERURL DELETEPROFILE=1

Replace YOURSERVERURL with the actual URL of your DeskAlerts server.

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Optional Parameters

Parameter	Description
REGISTRATION_TYPE	Defines the user registration method. See Registration Types.
BASE_URL	Full DeskAlerts Server URL, e.g. https://server.company.com/DeskAlerts.
ALLOWING_UNTRUSTED_SSL=true	Optional. Accepts self-signed or invalid SSL certificates.
DELETEPROFILE=1	Removes local alert history from previous installs.
APPDIR="C:\Path\To\Install"	(Optional) Sets a custom install location.
ENABLE_SERVICE=true	Enables Windows Service for wallpaper/lockscreen/screensaver.
DISABLE_WP_LS_SS=true	Disables the above features.
/qn /quiet	Silent install (no UI).

To uninstall, use:
msiexec /x "DeskAlertsClient11.x.x.x.msi" /qn /norestart

6. Click Add Package to save it.

7. The new package will now appear on the Packages page.

2

Create a Configuration

1. From the left menu, go to Deployment → Install/Uninstall Software.

2. Click Create Configuration and set the following:

• Name: DeskAlerts Installation
• Operation Type: Install
• Package Name: Select the package you created earlier
• Install As: Choose Run as User, then select a user with privileges to install software
• Apply Deployment Policy: Choose a predefined policy or create your own
• Define Target: Select the target devices or users

3. Click Deploy to create the configuration, or Deploy Immediately to run the deployment right away.

Result

The DeskAlerts Agent will be silently installed across selected endpoints via your Endpoint Central deployment policy.

DeskAlerts Agent deployment using PDQ Deploy

Overview

This guide describes how to deploy the DeskAlerts Agent across multiple Windows devices using PDQ Deploy. The instructions below cover package creation, configuration, and remote deployment.

Prerequisites

Before you begin please make sure that you have:

1. PDQ Deploy installed and configured. Refer to the PDQ official documentation
2. DeskAlerts Agent MSI installer for your version. To obtain the latest installer, please contact our support team.
3. Administrative credentials with permission to deploy software remotely across target devices.
4. All target devices must be reachable over the network and have remote execution enabled.

1

Prepare the Installation File

1. Place the DeskAlerts Agent MSI installer in a shared folder available to all target devices.

Example: \\SERVER\Share\DeskAlertsClient11.x.x.x.msi

2. Ensure that the account used for deployment has read access to this share.

2

Create a New PDQ Deploy Package

1. Open PDQ Deploy.
2. Click New Package.
3. Enter a package name, for example: DeskAlerts Agent Deployment

4. Click New Step → Install.

3

Configure the Install Step

1. In the Install File field, select your MSI installer.
2. In the Parameters field enter the following command: /qn /norestart ALLOWING_UNTRUSTED_SSL=true REGISTRATION_TYPE=0 BASE_URL=https://YOURSERVERURL/DeskAlerts DELETEPROFILE=1

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Replace:

• YOURSERVERURL with the actual URL of your DeskAlerts server.
• Include additional parameters if needed (e.g., custom ports or registration options).

You can refer to the following guide to configure these parameters properly:

🔗 Installing DeskAlerts Agent in Quiet/Silent Mode (Command Line)

3. (Optional) If you want to force reinstallation on all devices, enable Always run.

4

Configure Deployment Options

You can adjust deployment settings depending on your environment:

• Run As: Select Deploy User (recommended).
• Offline Policy: Choose whether to retry on offline hosts.
• Scanning: Enable or disable post-deployment scanning as needed.

5

Deploy the Package

1. Click Save.
2. Select your new package.
3. Click Deploy → Deploy Once.
4. Choose target devices or an AD group.
5. Click Deploy Now.

PDQ Deploy will now run the installer remotely on all selected machines.

6

Verify Deployment

After the deployment completes:

1. Review the deployment results in PDQ Deploy.
2. On a target device, verify:

• The DeskAlerts Agent is installed in Programs and Features.
• (Optional) The service DeskAlertsClientService is running.
• The device appears in your DeskAlerts dashboard under Audience.

Uninstalling the Agent with PDQ Deploy (Optional)

If you need to remove the agent:

1. Create a new package.

2. Add an Uninstall step.

3. Use the following command: msiexec /x "DeskAlertsClient11.x.x.x.msi" /qn /norestart

4. Deploy it to selected devices.

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• Deployment time depends on the number of target machines and network conditions.
• If the agent does not appear in the DeskAlerts dashboard after installation, ensure that the correct SERVERURL is used and outbound connections to the server are allowed.